(a) The secretary of labor may appoint, with the consent of the governor, one public information officer, one or more division directors, one personal secretary and one special assistant, all of whom shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary of labor, shall be in the unclassified service under the Kansas civil service act and shall receive an annual salary fixed by the secretary of labor with the approval of the governor.

(b) (1) The secretary may:

(A) Conduct public or private investigations within or outside of this state which the secretary or the secretary’s designee considers necessary or appropriate to determine whether a person has violated, is violating, or is about to violate the employment security law act or a rule and regulation adopted or order issued under the employment security law, or to aid in the enforcement of the employment security law;

(B) require or permit a person to testify, file a statement, or produce a record, under oath or otherwise as the secretary or the secretary’s designee determines, as to all the facts and circumstances concerning a matter to be investigated or about which an action or proceeding is to be instituted; and

(C) appoint one or more special investigators to aid in investigations conducted pursuant to this act.

(2) Such special investigators shall have authority to make arrests, serve subpoenas and all other process, conduct searches and seizures, store evidence, and carry firearms, concealed or otherwise while investigating violations of the employment security law act and to generally enforce all the criminal laws of the state as violations of those laws are encountered by such special investigators, except that no special investigator may carry firearms while performing such duties without having first successfully completed the training course prescribed for law enforcement officers under the Kansas law enforcement training act, Kan. Stat. Ann. § 74-5601 et seq., and amendments thereto.

(c) The secretary of labor also may appoint such other officers and employees as are necessary to enable the secretary to carry out the duties of the office of the secretary and the department of labor.

(d) Except as otherwise specifically provided by law, such officers and employees shall be within the classified service under the Kansas civil service act. All personnel of the department of labor shall perform the duties and functions assigned to such personnel by the secretary or prescribed for such personnel by law and shall act for and exercise the powers of the secretary of labor to the extent authority to do so is delegated by the secretary.